Immigration Policy, 78458-78460 [2014-30641]

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78458
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 2014 / Notices
Interview which will collect key
programmatic components
hypothesized to be associated with
program effectiveness, such as leveraged
funding, type of prevention
intervention, costs, etc.. The SPF PFS
cross-site instruments have been
informed by current and previous crosssite evaluation efforts for SAMHSA,
drawing heavily from lessons learned
through prior and currently OMBapproved SPF SIG evaluations (OMB
No. 0930–0279).
The GLI–R is a web-based instrument
to be completed by the PFS II, 2013, and
2014 grantee project directors (n=52),
once at baseline and once in the final
grant year. Baseline data for the PFS II
and 2013 cohorts will be collected
retrospectively. The GLI–R will provide
categorical, qualitative, and quantitative
data related to coordination of State
efforts, use of strategic plans, access to
data sources, data management,
workforce development, cultural
competence, sharing of evaluation data,
and sustainability.
The CLI–R is a web-based instrument
designed to be completed by the PFS II,
2013, and 2014 subrecipient community
project directors (n=610) to assess
subrecipients’ progress through the SPF
steps, prevention capacity, intervention
implementation, and related funding
and cost measures. The instrument will
provide process data related to
leveraging of funding, in-kind services,
organizational capacity, collaboration
with community partners, data
infrastructure, planned intervention
targets, intervention implementation
(categorization, costs, adaptation,
timing, dosage, and reach), cultural
competence, evaluation, contextual
factors, training and technical assistance
needs, and sustainability. The CLI–R
will be collected semiannually;
however, not all questions will be
answered every time. For instance,
subrecipients will respond to items
related to organizational capacity only
at baseline and final follow-up, whereas
they will respond to intervention
implementation items every 6 months.
The PD Interview is a semi-structured
telephone interview with grantee project
directors designed to collect more indepth information on subrecipient
selection, criteria for intervention
selection, continuation of SPF SIG
activities, leveraging of funds,
collaboration, evaluation activities,
cultural competence policies, processes
to impact health disparities, and
challenges faced. The PD Interview will
be collected at the beginning of the
grant, in the third year of the grant, and
in the final year of the grant. Baseline
data for the PFS II and 2013 cohorts will
be collected retrospectively and PFS II
grantees will only participate in the
interview at the beginning of their final
year and at the close of their grant.
ANNUALIZE BURDEN HOURS
Number of
respondents
Instrument
Responses
per
respondent
17
517
30
564
1
2
1
....................
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GLI–RB ....................................................................................................
SLI–R .......................................................................................................
Grantee PD Interview ..............................................................................
Annualized Total ...............................................................................
Written comments and
recommendations concerning the
proposed information collection should
be sent by January 29, 2015 to the
SAMHSA Desk Officer at the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB). To ensure timely receipt of
comments, and to avoid potential delays
in OMB’s receipt and processing of mail
sent through the U.S. Postal Service,
commenters are encouraged to submit
their comments to OMB via email to:
OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov.
Although commenters are encouraged to
send their comments via email,
commenters may also fax their
comments to: 202–395–7285.
Commenters may also mail them to:
Office of Management and Budget,
Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, New Executive Office Building,
Room 10102, Washington, DC 20503.
Summer King,
Statistician.
[FR Doc. 2014–30313 Filed 12–29–14; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
[DHS Docket No. USCIS–2014–0014]
Immigration Policy
Department of State;
Department of Homeland Security.
ACTION: Notice of Request for
Information.
AGENCY:
On November 21, 2014, the
President issued a memorandum for the
heads of executive departments and
agencies on the subject of modernizing
and streamlining the U.S. immigrant
and nonimmigrant visa system for the
21st century. The Memorandum directs
the Secretaries of State and Homeland
Security, in consultation with various
other Cabinet secretaries and the White
House, to make recommendations to
streamline and improve the Nation’s
legal immigration system. Such efforts
should focus on reducing Government
costs, improving services for applicants,
reducing burdens on employers, and
combatting waste, fraud, and abuse in
the system, while safeguarding the
interests of American workers. This
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00078
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Total
number of
responses
17
1,034
30
1,081
Hours per
response
1
2.6
1.4
....................
Total
burden
hours
17
2,688
42
2,747
notice solicits public input to inform the
development of those recommendations.
DATES: Responses must be received by
January 29, 2015 to be considered.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• Email: USCISFRComment@
uscis.dhs.gov. Include Visa
Modernization in the subject line of the
message.
• Online: You may access the Federal
Register Notice and submit comments
via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web
site by visiting www.regulations.gov. In
the search box either copy and paste, or
type in, the e-Docket ID number USCIS–
2014–0014. Click on the link titled
Open Docket Folder for the appropriate
Notice and supporting documents, and
click the Comment Now tab to submit
a comment;
• Mail: Attn: Laura Dawkins, Chief of
the Regulatory Coordination Division,
USCIS Office of Policy and Strategy, 20
Massachusetts Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20529–2140.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is
voluntary. Responses exceeding 30
pages will not be considered.
Respondents need not reply to all
questions listed below; however,
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 2014 / Notices
respondents should clearly indicate the
number of each question to which they
are responding. The Department of
Homeland Security and the Department
of State request that no business
proprietary information, copyrighted
information, or personally identifiable
information be submitted in response to
this RFI. Please note that the U.S.
Government will not pay for response
preparation, or for the use of any
information contained in the response.
The full text of the November 21
Memorandum is available at: http://
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/
2014/11/21/presidential-memorandummodernizing-and-streamlining-usimmigrant-visa-s.
The White House Fact Sheet
describing the President’s Immigration
Accountability Executive Actions of
November 20 is available at: http://
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/
2014/11/20/fact-sheet-immigrationaccountability-executive-action.
Note that the November 21
Presidential Memorandum, and this
RFI, are not focused on potential
Federal Government actions that were
announced as part of the President’s
Immigration Accountability Executive
Actions of November 20. Rather, this
RFI seeks recommendations on
improving and modernizing the legal
immigration system in other ways.
Federal agencies responsible for
implementing the previously
announced executive actions are
establishing stakeholder engagement
plans separate from this RFI. Do not
submit responses detailing
recommendations directly related to the
actions announced on November 20, as
separate processes exist to engage
regarding those actions where
necessary. For more information, see:
http://www.dhs.gov/immigration-action
http://www.uscis.gov/immigrationaction
http://www.dol.gov/dol/fact-sheet/
immigration/perm.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura Dawkins, Chief of the Regulatory
Coordination Division, USCIS Office of
Policy and Strategy, 20 Massachusetts
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529–
2140; Telephone number 202–272–
8377.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
November 21, 2014, President Obama
issued a Presidential Memorandum
directing the Secretaries of State and
Homeland Security to lead an
interagency effort, in consultation with
private and nonfederal public
stakeholders, to develop within 120
days recommendations on streamlining
and reforming the Nation’s legal
immigration system, while safeguarding
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:42 Dec 29, 2014
Jkt 235001
the interests of American workers,
including recommendations to:
(i) Streamline and improve the legal
immigration system—including
immigrant and nonimmigrant visa
processing—with a focus on reforms
that reduce Government costs, improve
services for applicants, reduce burdens
on employers, and combat waste, fraud,
and abuse in the system;
(ii) ensure that administrative
policies, practices, and systems use all
of the immigrant visa numbers that
Congress provides for and intends to be
issued, consistent with demand; and
(iii) modernize the information
technology infrastructure underlying the
visa processing system, with a goal of
reducing redundant systems, improving
the experience of applicants, and
enabling better public and congressional
oversight of the system.
The Memorandum further directs the
Secretaries of State and Homeland
Security to establish metrics for
measuring progress in implementing
these recommendations and in
achieving service-level improvements,
taking into account the Federal
Government’s responsibility to protect
the integrity of U.S. borders and
promote economic opportunity for all
workers.
Along with general comments and
suggestions, the Departments of State
and Homeland Security are also
specifically seeking input on the
following questions. To the extent
possible and wherever appropriate,
responses to this RFI should indicate
the question number(s) and include, for
each recommended action, (a) clear
prioritization of which actions are most
important and consequential; (b)
estimates of the number of individuals
affected, time saved, private and public
costs saved, general economic benefit,
or other impact metrics as appropriate;
(c) legal authorities under existing
statutes and case law; and (d) suggested
government performance metrics as
described above. Concrete
recommendations are more useful than
general observations. Such proposals
need not be limited to the activities of
the Department of State and the
Department of Homeland Security, as
the Memorandum also contemplates
roles for the Departments of Agriculture,
Commerce, Justice, Labor, and
Education, and other departments and
agencies as relevant. Note that responses
should not include the modernization of
the PERM labor certification program, as
the Department of Labor has provided
for a separate process to engage
stakeholders on modernized recruitment
and application requirements in this
program, which applies to permanent
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78459
workers; for more details, see: http://
www.dol.gov/dol/fact-sheet/
immigration/perm.htm.
I. Streamlining the Legal Immigration
System
1. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
streamline and improve the processing
of immigrant visas at U.S. Embassies
and Consulates, for both familysponsored and employment-based
immigrant visas?
2. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
streamline and improve the processing
of nonimmigrant visas at U.S. Embassies
and Consulates, including visitor,
student, temporary worker and other
nonimmigrant visas?
3. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
streamline and improve U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) processing of the following
types of immigrant and nonimmigrant
visa petitions?
a. Family-sponsored immigrant visa
petitions
b. Employment-based immigrant visa
petitions
c. Nonimmigrant petitions
d. Humanitarian petitions and
applications (such as U
nonimmigrant status petitions, T
nonimmigrant status applications,
and VAWA self-petitions)
e. H–1B temporary worker visa
petitions, specifically, ways to
reduce burdens on employers and
workers engaging in the H–1B
petition process, consistent with
protections for U.S. and temporary
foreign workers. (Note that
employment authorization for
certain H–4 dependent spouses of
H–1 B nonimmigrants was a part of
the President’s November 20
announcement described above,
and recommendations regarding
that topic should not be submitted
here.)
4. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
streamline and improve the process of
changing from one nonimmigrant status
to another nonimmigrant status?
5. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
streamline and improve the process of
applying for adjustment of status to that
of a lawful permanent resident while in
the United States?
6. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
streamline and improve the inspection
of arriving immigrants and
nonimmigrants at U.S. ports of entry?
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78460
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 2014 / Notices
7. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
attract the world’s most talented
researchers to U.S. universities, national
laboratories, and other research
institutions? (Do not submit responses
directly related to the actions
announced on November 20, including
the strengthening and extending of the
Optional Practical Training program for
foreign students. Separate processes
exist to engage regarding those actions
where necessary; see details above.)
8. What are the most important policy
and operational changes that would
attract the world’s most talented
entrepreneurs who want to start and
grow their business in the United
States? (Do not submit responses
directly related to the actions
announced on November 20, including
the ‘‘national interest waiver’’ and
‘‘significant public benefit’’ parole
pathways for entrepreneurs. Separate
processes exist to engage regarding
those actions where necessary; see
details above.)
9. What are the policy or operational
changes that could assist in creating
additional immigration opportunities
for high-demand professions, such as
physicians?
10. Focusing on the EB–5 immigrant
investor visa, what policy or operational
changes would (a) reduce existing
burdens and uncertainties on the part of
petitioners, Regional Centers, and other
participants in the program; (b) ensure
that this program is achieving the
greatest impact in terms of U.S. job
creation, economic growth, and
investment in national priority projects
that the capital markets would not
otherwise competitively finance; and (c)
enhance protections against fraud,
abuse, and criminal misuse of the
program by petitioners or Regional
Centers?
11. How can labor market related
requirements for temporary workers be
best tailored to meaningfully protect
both U.S. and temporary foreign
workers while achieving operational
efficiency for both employers and
relevant Federal agencies?
12. How should relevant occupational
categories, descriptors, and/or data,
such as the Department of Labor’s
O*NET system (http://
www.onetonline.org) be refined and
updated to better align the prevailing
wage determination process for visas
with the evolving job market?
13. Focusing on the diversity visa
program, what are the most important
policy and operational changes that
would streamline and improve the
diversity visa process, including
enhancing protections against fraud?
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21:42 Dec 29, 2014
Jkt 235001
14. What other policy and operational
changes would most effectively combat
waste, fraud, and abuse in the legal
immigration system?
II. Ensuring Use of All Immigrant Visa
Numbers
15. What are the most important
policy and operational changes, if any,
available within the existing statutory
framework to ensure that administrative
policies, practices, and systems fully
and fairly allocate all of the immigrant
visa numbers that Congress provides for
and intends to be issued each year going
forward?
16. What are the most important
policy and operational changes, if any,
available within the existing statutory
framework to ensure that administrative
policies, practices, and systems fully
and fairly allocate all of the immigrant
visa numbers that Congress provided for
and intended to be issued, but were not
issued in past years?
III. Modernizing IT Infrastructure
17. From the perspective of
petitioners and applicants, which
elements of the current legal
immigration system (both immigrant
and nonimmigrant systems) are most in
need of modernized information
technology (IT) solutions, and what
changes would result in the most
significant improvements to the user
experience?
18. Which existing governmentcollected data and metrics would be
most valuable to make available to the
public, consistent with privacy
protections and national security, in
order to improve oversight and
understanding of the legal immigration
system?
Karin M. King,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa
Services, Department of State.
Esther Olavarria,
Senior Counselor to the Secretary,
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2014–30641 Filed 12–29–14; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
[Docket ID: FEMA–2014–0030; OMB No.
1660–0020]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request, Write Your
Own (WYO) Program.
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) will
submit the information collection
abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget for review and
clearance in accordance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The submission
will describe the nature of the
information collection, the categories of
respondents, the estimated burden (i.e.,
the time, effort and resources used by
respondents to respond) and cost, and
the actual data collection instruments
FEMA will use.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before January 29, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
on the proposed information collection
to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget. Comments
should be addressed to the Desk Officer
for the Department of Homeland
Security, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, and sent via
electronic mail to oira.submission@
omb.eop.gov or faxed to (202) 395–5806.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
should be made to Director, Records
Management Division, 500 C Street SW.,
Room 7NE, Washington, DC 20472–
3100, facsimile number (202) 212–4701,
or email address FEMA-InformationCollections-Management@dhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Changes
Since Publication of the 60 Day
Federal Register Notice for the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Write Your Own (WYO) Program. The
number of respondents and the
estimated burden hours have increased
since FEMA published the 60 day
Federal Register Notice on October 15,
2014. See 79 FR 61886. This is due to
a clerical error. The respondent burden
increased from 88 to 90. The estimated
responses increased from 1056 to 1080.
The estimated time per response
SUMMARY:
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Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78458-78460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30641]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[DHS Docket No. USCIS-2014-0014]
Immigration Policy
AGENCY: Department of State; Department of Homeland Security.
ACTION: Notice of Request for Information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On November 21, 2014, the President issued a memorandum for
the heads of executive departments and agencies on the subject of
modernizing and streamlining the U.S. immigrant and nonimmigrant visa
system for the 21st century. The Memorandum directs the Secretaries of
State and Homeland Security, in consultation with various other Cabinet
secretaries and the White House, to make recommendations to streamline
and improve the Nation's legal immigration system. Such efforts should
focus on reducing Government costs, improving services for applicants,
reducing burdens on employers, and combatting waste, fraud, and abuse
in the system, while safeguarding the interests of American workers.
This notice solicits public input to inform the development of those
recommendations.
DATES: Responses must be received by January 29, 2015 to be considered.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Email: USCISFRComment@uscis.dhs.gov. Include Visa
Modernization in the subject line of the message.
Online: You may access the Federal Register Notice and
submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site by visiting
www.regulations.gov. In the search box either copy and paste, or type
in, the e-Docket ID number USCIS-2014-0014. Click on the link titled
Open Docket Folder for the appropriate Notice and supporting documents,
and click the Comment Now tab to submit a comment;
Mail: Attn: Laura Dawkins, Chief of the Regulatory
Coordination Division, USCIS Office of Policy and Strategy, 20
Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529-2140.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Responses
exceeding 30 pages will not be considered. Respondents need not reply
to all questions listed below; however,
[[Page 78459]]
respondents should clearly indicate the number of each question to
which they are responding. The Department of Homeland Security and the
Department of State request that no business proprietary information,
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be
submitted in response to this RFI. Please note that the U.S. Government
will not pay for response preparation, or for the use of any
information contained in the response.
The full text of the November 21 Memorandum is available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/21/presidential-memorandum-modernizing-and-streamlining-us-immigrant-visa-s.
The White House Fact Sheet describing the President's Immigration
Accountability Executive Actions of November 20 is available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/20/fact-sheet-immigration-accountability-executive-action.
Note that the November 21 Presidential Memorandum, and this RFI,
are not focused on potential Federal Government actions that were
announced as part of the President's Immigration Accountability
Executive Actions of November 20. Rather, this RFI seeks
recommendations on improving and modernizing the legal immigration
system in other ways. Federal agencies responsible for implementing the
previously announced executive actions are establishing stakeholder
engagement plans separate from this RFI. Do not submit responses
detailing recommendations directly related to the actions announced on
November 20, as separate processes exist to engage regarding those
actions where necessary. For more information, see:
http://www.dhs.gov/immigration-actionhttp://www.uscis.gov/immigrationactionhttp://www.dol.gov/dol/fact-sheet/immigration/perm.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Dawkins, Chief of the Regulatory
Coordination Division, USCIS Office of Policy and Strategy, 20
Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529-2140; Telephone number
202-272-8377.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 21, 2014, President Obama
issued a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretaries of State and
Homeland Security to lead an interagency effort, in consultation with
private and nonfederal public stakeholders, to develop within 120 days
recommendations on streamlining and reforming the Nation's legal
immigration system, while safeguarding the interests of American
workers, including recommendations to:
(i) Streamline and improve the legal immigration system--including
immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing--with a focus on reforms
that reduce Government costs, improve services for applicants, reduce
burdens on employers, and combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the system;
(ii) ensure that administrative policies, practices, and systems
use all of the immigrant visa numbers that Congress provides for and
intends to be issued, consistent with demand; and
(iii) modernize the information technology infrastructure
underlying the visa processing system, with a goal of reducing
redundant systems, improving the experience of applicants, and enabling
better public and congressional oversight of the system.
The Memorandum further directs the Secretaries of State and
Homeland Security to establish metrics for measuring progress in
implementing these recommendations and in achieving service-level
improvements, taking into account the Federal Government's
responsibility to protect the integrity of U.S. borders and promote
economic opportunity for all workers.
Along with general comments and suggestions, the Departments of
State and Homeland Security are also specifically seeking input on the
following questions. To the extent possible and wherever appropriate,
responses to this RFI should indicate the question number(s) and
include, for each recommended action, (a) clear prioritization of which
actions are most important and consequential; (b) estimates of the
number of individuals affected, time saved, private and public costs
saved, general economic benefit, or other impact metrics as
appropriate; (c) legal authorities under existing statutes and case
law; and (d) suggested government performance metrics as described
above. Concrete recommendations are more useful than general
observations. Such proposals need not be limited to the activities of
the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, as the
Memorandum also contemplates roles for the Departments of Agriculture,
Commerce, Justice, Labor, and Education, and other departments and
agencies as relevant. Note that responses should not include the
modernization of the PERM labor certification program, as the
Department of Labor has provided for a separate process to engage
stakeholders on modernized recruitment and application requirements in
this program, which applies to permanent workers; for more details,
see: http://www.dol.gov/dol/fact-sheet/immigration/perm.htm.
I. Streamlining the Legal Immigration System
1. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would streamline and improve the processing of immigrant visas at U.S.
Embassies and Consulates, for both family-sponsored and employment-
based immigrant visas?
2. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would streamline and improve the processing of nonimmigrant visas at
U.S. Embassies and Consulates, including visitor, student, temporary
worker and other nonimmigrant visas?
3. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would streamline and improve U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) processing of the following types of immigrant and nonimmigrant
visa petitions?
a. Family-sponsored immigrant visa petitions
b. Employment-based immigrant visa petitions
c. Nonimmigrant petitions
d. Humanitarian petitions and applications (such as U nonimmigrant
status petitions, T nonimmigrant status applications, and VAWA self-
petitions)
e. H-1B temporary worker visa petitions, specifically, ways to reduce
burdens on employers and workers engaging in the H-1B petition process,
consistent with protections for U.S. and temporary foreign workers.
(Note that employment authorization for certain H-4 dependent spouses
of H-1 B nonimmigrants was a part of the President's November 20
announcement described above, and recommendations regarding that topic
should not be submitted here.)
4. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would streamline and improve the process of changing from one
nonimmigrant status to another nonimmigrant status?
5. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would streamline and improve the process of applying for adjustment of
status to that of a lawful permanent resident while in the United
States?
6. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would streamline and improve the inspection of arriving immigrants and
nonimmigrants at U.S. ports of entry?
[[Page 78460]]
7. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would attract the world's most talented researchers to U.S.
universities, national laboratories, and other research institutions?
(Do not submit responses directly related to the actions announced on
November 20, including the strengthening and extending of the Optional
Practical Training program for foreign students. Separate processes
exist to engage regarding those actions where necessary; see details
above.)
8. What are the most important policy and operational changes that
would attract the world's most talented entrepreneurs who want to start
and grow their business in the United States? (Do not submit responses
directly related to the actions announced on November 20, including the
``national interest waiver'' and ``significant public benefit'' parole
pathways for entrepreneurs. Separate processes exist to engage
regarding those actions where necessary; see details above.)
9. What are the policy or operational changes that could assist in
creating additional immigration opportunities for high-demand
professions, such as physicians?
10. Focusing on the EB-5 immigrant investor visa, what policy or
operational changes would (a) reduce existing burdens and uncertainties
on the part of petitioners, Regional Centers, and other participants in
the program; (b) ensure that this program is achieving the greatest
impact in terms of U.S. job creation, economic growth, and investment
in national priority projects that the capital markets would not
otherwise competitively finance; and (c) enhance protections against
fraud, abuse, and criminal misuse of the program by petitioners or
Regional Centers?
11. How can labor market related requirements for temporary workers
be best tailored to meaningfully protect both U.S. and temporary
foreign workers while achieving operational efficiency for both
employers and relevant Federal agencies?
12. How should relevant occupational categories, descriptors, and/
or data, such as the Department of Labor's O*NET system (http://www.onetonline.org) be refined and updated to better align the
prevailing wage determination process for visas with the evolving job
market?
13. Focusing on the diversity visa program, what are the most
important policy and operational changes that would streamline and
improve the diversity visa process, including enhancing protections
against fraud?
14. What other policy and operational changes would most
effectively combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the legal immigration
system?
II. Ensuring Use of All Immigrant Visa Numbers
15. What are the most important policy and operational changes, if
any, available within the existing statutory framework to ensure that
administrative policies, practices, and systems fully and fairly
allocate all of the immigrant visa numbers that Congress provides for
and intends to be issued each year going forward?
16. What are the most important policy and operational changes, if
any, available within the existing statutory framework to ensure that
administrative policies, practices, and systems fully and fairly
allocate all of the immigrant visa numbers that Congress provided for
and intended to be issued, but were not issued in past years?
III. Modernizing IT Infrastructure
17. From the perspective of petitioners and applicants, which
elements of the current legal immigration system (both immigrant and
nonimmigrant systems) are most in need of modernized information
technology (IT) solutions, and what changes would result in the most
significant improvements to the user experience?
18. Which existing government-collected data and metrics would be
most valuable to make available to the public, consistent with privacy
protections and national security, in order to improve oversight and
understanding of the legal immigration system?
Karin M. King,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, Department of
State.
Esther Olavarria,
Senior Counselor to the Secretary, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2014-30641 Filed 12-29-14; 8:45 am]
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